Brainless
by thequietwriter
Summary: The Life and Times of the Brainless Prince of the West. Mostly Musicalverse, though there are some book influences. Fiyeraba. hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Brainless – Version 1.1 Updated 4/14/07

**Disclaimer: **Wicked doesn't belong to me. There, I said it. Is this really even necessary?

**Chapter One**

The road was a bit bumpy, but he didn't mind all that much. In fact, it helped lull him to sleep. The drive had been long, and he wasn't very patient. The daytime hours were dull enough when he was free to do whatever he wanted too. For a moment he wondered just how long he would last at this new school. He pushed the thought aside and drifted back to sleep.

The next thing the prince was aware of was the sound of an angry girl yelling at him.

"Do you realize who this is?" he heard Avaric say. The prince peaked an eye open. Standing in front of him was a tall, lanky girl whose skin was as green as grass. Her face was green, her hands were green, and he could only assume that the rest of her was green as well. Was everyone at Shiz this color?

"I don't care who he is," the green girl answered. Then, turning to himself, she said, "Your car nearly knocked me over and you're sleeping?"

"Well of course, it's daytime," he stepped out of the car. "See you soon Avaric, I probably won't last longer at this school than any of the others." A moment later, the driver and the car were gone.

"Is this really how you go through life, nearly knocking people over and not even noticing them?"

Without missing a beat, the prince answered, "Maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go."

She didn't seem to like that. The girl stormed off and Prince Fiyero Tiggular shrugged.

The first thing Fiyero noticed when he began looking around was the amount of very normal-looking students wandering the square. The second thing he noticed was a short blonde girl flipping her hair standing next to an equally short boy. Laughing internally at her antics, he walked up to her and began to mimic her ridiculous actions. The short boy looked disgusted, the short girl looked pleased.

"Were you looking for something?" she asked. "Or someone?"

"Uhhh yea... history... class?" he had read something about it on the syllabus about an hour before he fell asleep on the ride to Shiz. "I don't know... somewhere?"

The short boy walked up to him and answered, "History building is way over there, my friend." The boy looked a little over eager to rid the new boy from their conversation, but Fiyero brushed it off. He was used to jealousy, the guys from his previous schools seemed to have the same problem.

"That class just ended!" the perky blonde girl answered, looking at him slyly. He was used to that too. That look, after all, was the reason why all those guys were jealous. But she was pretty, he wouldn't mind spending time around her.

"Oh! Perfect timing! So, uh, what does one do for fun around here?"

"Nothing really," she answered before adding, "until now."

"We've been studying!" Studying? Fiyero was in disbelief that the short kid knew so little. The little guy was trying to win this girl's heart by saying that by being… smart. How ridiculous.

"Well, I see that once again the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me." The two looked at Fiyero expectantly. "Fortunately, I'm up for the task."

He reached down and took the book from the short boy's hands, throwing it off to the side. The boy looked disgusted. "Look," he began. "The trouble with school is, they always try to teach the wrong lesson. Believe me, I've been kicked out of enough of them to know. They want you to come less callow – less _shallow_. But why stress about it? You should learn to live the unexamined life. Believe me, life is much easier when you're brainless." The girl, at least, seemed happy enough with his speech. She bounced her little blonde curls up and down. She might do.

"So," he asked her, "What's the most swankified place in town?"

"That would be the Ozdust Ballroom," she answered cheerfully.

"Sounds perfect. We should all meet there tonight."

The short boy looked positively outraged. "Miss Galinda?" he motioned the blonde girl aside. Fiyero listened in to their conversation. "I hope you'll save at least one dance for me. I'll be waiting right there, right by your side, waiting, all night."

"Oh, how very kind… Biq."

"It's Boq," he grumbled under his breath.

"But, do you know what would be even kinder? Look over there, at that tragically beautiful girl, the girl in the chair." Fiyero turned his head to see a pretty brunette girl wearing too-dark lipstick. She was sitting in a wheel chair and looked somewhat familiar.

"It's seems unfair that we should go, but not her. I know someone would be my hero if they would go and invite her to the party."

"Well… maybe I could invite her!" he volunteered.

"Oh, Biq! Really? You would do that for me?" she said with false cheerfulness.

"I would do anything for you, Miss Galinda," he answered before rushing off to ask the girl in the wheelchair out.

After Boq left, Fiyero walked back up to Galinda. "You're good," he said, impressed.

"I don't know what you mean. But I do happen to be free tonight, so..."

"So, I'll be picking you up around eight?"

"Sounds perfect."

**AN:** No, this won't be an exact word for word copy of the musical. There will be plenty of scenes that you never see on stage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

After asking Galinda where she lived, Fiyero set off to find his room. He searched for quite a while before he finally found it; a large private suite already filled with his luggage that Avaric had dropped off. He spent a few minutes arranging his possessions before relaxing in the tub. It had been a long day of traveling and he was tired. Watching the clock, he got out after an hour and began getting ready for the dance.

He prided himself on how little amount of time it took for him to get ready for anything. Fiyero was naturally good looking… and, of course, rich. With that combination of assets, life was generally easy. So when he finished combing his perfect hair an hour later, he smiled at himself in the mirror. Galinda, just like every other girl he had ever met, would not be able to resist him.

Crage Hall wasn't too far of a walk. He found Galinda's room and knocked. When she opened the door a moment later, he leaned against the doorframe in a relaxed sort of way and flashed a big smile. She was wearing a short pink dress that was considerably poofed out. Like some sort of pastry, he thought. "Why hello, Miss Galinda. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost, if you wait just a tick-tock I'll be out in a moment." She closed the door behind her and re-emerged a few minutes later. As they walked down the hall her blonde curls bounced happily and Fiyero felt the sudden urge to pull on one of them. He resisted, however, and instead chatted with her as they walked to the Ozdust Ballroom.

"So why did you come to Shiz?" he asked the blonde.

"I wanted to study sorcery with Madam Morrible…."

"Wanted?"

"Well, apparently she doesn't teach her seminar every semester. But then she accepted… some other girl to be in the class. I don't think she even read my entrance essay. If she had, I have no doubt that she would have let me in. I worked so hard on it. I was so confusified."

"Another reason to not bother trying, I say," he responded. "If we do, and we fail, we'll just be disappointed."

"But I wanted it so bad. And she had to go and let _her_ in instead of me." She sounded angry.

"I'm sorry, Miss Galinda."

"Oh, it's not your fault, Fiyero. Don't concern yourself over it." She glued on a fake smile and nodded her head at him. He shrugged. A few minutes later they arrived at the ballroom and walked down the steps to join the dance. The music was fun, and he twirled Galinda gracefully. He liked the way her curls moved with every spin. Strange how little things like that could be so attractive. After some time he noticed the short kid – Boq, was it? with the wheelchair girl. They were nearby the punch, and he kept looking back towards Miss Galinda. Fiyero chuckled.

"What?" asked Galinda when she noticed Fiyero laughing.

"Oh nothing. I was just watching some people."

"Oh."

As Galinda and Fiyero danced, an older lady wearing far too much makeup entered the room and began walking towards Galinda.

"Madam Morrible? What are you doing here?" Galinda asked.

The makeup lady took Galinda off to the side and handed her a wand. Galinda looked delighted, though a moment later she looked confused. Madam Morrible walked away and Fiyero took her place. "What is it?" he asked her.

"I got what I wanted…" she replied quietly.

"Then what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Good. Let's dance!"

The pair continued to dance, in the center of the ballroom so everyone could notice. Galinda was good, he noted. He vaguely wondered where she was from, and decided to ask.

"Miss Galinda?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering where–"

Fiyero cut himself short when the music suddenly stopped. All of the sudden everyone was whispering and staring blatantly at who had just entered the ballroom. He turned his head to see what all of the commotion was about.

Standing on the top of the staircase was a girl dressed in the most hideodeous outfit he had ever seen. She was wearing a ridiculous tall, black hat, navy blue frock, and tall brown boots. As if her eveningwear, if you could call it that with a straight face, wasn't bad enough, she was the girl his driver nearly ran over earlier today. The _green_ one. "Who in Oz is this?" he asked in disbelief.

Galinda looked mortified. "My roommate... please, don't ... stare!"

"How can you help it?" His eyes had still not left the green girl. She looked shocked at the reaction she was getting, though Fiyero could not see why. The girl took off her pointy hat and searched the crowed, a look of disbelief and anger crossing her features. She walked down the steps, and ceremoniously placed that hat back on her head.

And then, she danced, moving her arms slowly around her. She had a confident look on her face even though she shouldn't have, and for a moment, Fiyero was impressed. "Well I'll say this, she doesn't give a twig about what anyone else thinks."

"Of course she does," Galinda moaned. "She just pretends not to... I feel awful..."

"Why?" he asked, turning his attention back to his date. "It's not like it's your fault."

Galinda sighed and excused herself. Then she did something Fiyero would never have expected. Galinda walked up to the green girl and began to dance with her… just as horribly as her roommate. The green girl didn't seem to accept it at first, but after Galinda stood in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching, she finally accepted and began to dance again. A few minutes later, everyone else joined in.

"Wow," whispered Fiyero to himself, somehow proud of both his date and the rather hideous girl she was dancing with at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Fiyero sat next to Galinda in their math class the following day. She was semi-intent on listening to their professor, though Fiyero let his attention wander to more important things.

For instance, all of the girls. They were all very pretty, especially Galinda. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noted that some of the girls he remembered seeing the night before were not in his class, the green girl for instance. The wheelchair girl wasn't there either. What did Galinda call her? Beautifully tragic? Yes, that was it. She was rather pretty he supposed. But she was confined to a wheelchair, not to mention a brunette. Blondes were so much more interesting.

Their professor started saying something about an assignment and Galinda nudged him from his observations.

"There will be a quiz on it first thing tomorrow, so be sure to go through the entire assignment very carefully," the man warned. Fiyero scoffed, Galinda broke his attention from his classmates for that?

When class ended, Galinda pulled him aside. "I'm not feeling so well, Fiyero. Perhaps I stayed up too late last night."

He nodded his head. It was a possibility. He had gone to bed as soon as he got back to his room, perhaps she stayed up later.

"I'm thinking that I may lie down for a few hours… but that means I'm going to miss my next class. Say hello to Elphaba for me, will you? And ask her to take notes for me."

Elphaba… who was Elphaba? Oh wait… wasn't Galinda's roommate?

"The green girl?"

"Yes, but don't think about that, dearest."

He shrugged. "Okay, where is class?"

She pointed down the hallway to a door, and he nodded before walking off. It was almost not worth it to go with Galinda not there, but he figured that because it was his first day and all that it would be the right choice. He had to impress _all_ the girls, after all.

He walked through the door to the classroom and looked around. He was supposed to talk to someone, wasn't he? Oh yes, the green girl. That's right. He found her standing towards the back of the classroom, repeatedly flipping her hair over her shoulders. He tried not to laugh, it looked even more ridiculous with her doing it than when Galinda did it.

"What?" she snapped, noticing that he was staring at her.

"Nothing, it's just... you've been Galinda-fied."

The green girl stared blankly at him in response.

"You don't have to do that, you know?"

Just then a distraught-looking Goat walked through the classroom doors. "Alright, take your seats, class!"

Elphaba and Fiyero quickly sat down and looked over at him. She immediately put all her attention on their professor, but Fiyero quickly reverted to his favorite pastime: watching people. The green girl was the closest, so he decided to start with her. He decided that on a closer look, she wasn't quite as ugly as he thought she was last night. The green though… the green just destroyed it.

The Goat demanded everyone's attention, and so he gave it. "I have something to say, and very little time to say it. This is my last day here at Shiz." Elphaba looked towards Fiyero with a look of disbelief. The Goat continued, "I am no longer permitted to teach."

"What?" Elphaba jumped up in protest.

"Please, Miss Elphaba," he motioned her down. "I want to thank you for your sharing your enthusiasm, your essays, no matter how feebly structured, and even, on occasion, your lunch." At this last part he looked intently at Elphaba.

At the same time someone rushed through the door and Fiyero leaned over to see. In came that makeup lady… Madam Morrible?

"Doctor Dillamond," she said loudly. "I am so dreadfully sorry."

"Madam," began Elphaba, "We've got to do something!"

Was this girl ever quiet? It was just a Goat, just like any other professor. So what if he couldn't teach here anymore. He'd find another job.

Doctor Dillamond spoke again, "Miss Elphaba, they can take away my job, but I shall continue speaking out!"

"Come on, Goat," a man said as some men began to take their professor away. Fiyero jumped to his feet, it was one thing for a teacher to lose his job, but another for him to be treated that way. Suddenly he got the feeling that the only reason he was fired was because he was a Goat. "They are not telling you the whole story! Remember that, class! Remember that."

"Doctor Dillamond!" shouted the green girl. And with that, he was gone.

But Elphaba continued to stand. "Well, are you just going to sit here in silence?"

"Miss Elphaba," said Madam Morrible, "there is nothing we can do. Please take your seat."

Another man entered the room.

"Good afternoon, students," he said.

"Good afternoon," Madam Morrible replied.

"Every day, with every tick of the Time Dragon Clock, in every corner of our great Oz, one hears the silence of progress." As he spoke, both he and Elphaba sat down. "For example: this is called a cage!" He pulled a piece of cloth off the table to see a metal-frame box surrounding a lion club. Everyone gasped, the green girl looking especially upset. Though that could have been because of Doctor Dillamond. "Now, we will be seeing more and more of them in the near future. This remarkable innovation is actually for the Animal's own good..."

Elphaba, unsurprisingly, jumped up. "If this is for his own good, then why is he trembling?" she challenged.

"He's just excited to be here, that's all." Elphaba walked back to her seat as the new professor hit the lion's cage. She looked very distressed. "Now, as I was saying, one of the benefits of caging a Lion cub while he's young is that he never, in fact, will learn how to speak."

Wait, thought Fiyero. Lion Cub? As in an Animal? It seemed that Elphaba was thinking along the same lines and shouted, "What!" as she looked around the room, panicked.

Their professor motioned the class towards the caged Animal, but Elphaba instead began to rant to Fiyero. "Can you imagine a world where Animals are kept in cages and they never speak?"

"Now, he may seem a bit agitated but that's easily remedied," the professor spoke.

"What should I do?" she asked Fiyero.

"I don't know."

"Well… somebody has to... do something!" she shouted, facing the entire class.

At that moment the entire class, professor and all, began to move uncontrollably. Fiyero stood wide eyed and asked, "What's happening?"

"I don't know! I got mad... and," she was obviously shaken up.

"Alright just don't move," he said, feeling sympathy for both the girl and the Lion cub. "And don't get mad at me!" he added almost as an afterthought.

Fiyero ran up to the cage and grabbed in, running for the classroom door. "Well are you coming?" he shouted back.

The two rushed out, trying to get as far away from the building as possible. After a few minutes he stopped and looked at the cage.

"Careful! Don't shake him!" she yelled at him.

"I'm not!"

"We can't just let him loose anywhere, you know. We have to find someplace safe..."

"Don't you think that I realize that?" All the respect he was beginning to feel for this girl began to melt away. "You must think I'm really stupid or something!"

"No," she responded. "Not really stupid."

That's it! Why was he helping her again? "Why is it that every time I see you you're causing some sort of commotion?" he asked.

"I don't cause commotions, I am one."

"That's for sure," he muttered under his breath. But not quietly enough.

"Oh! So you think I should just keep my mouth shut! Is that what you're saying?"

"No, I'm..."

"Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much?" he tried to interrupt, but she wouldn't have it. "Don't you know how much easier my life would be if I didn't?"

"Do you ever let anyone else talk?"

That seemed to work. She was instantly quiet. "Oh, Sorry."

Fiyero opened his mouth to speak again but the green girl stopped him. "But can I just say one more thing?" Fiyero nodded. "You could have just walked away back there."

"So?"

"So, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed you pretend to be..."

Oh, so now she was trying to read him? That unnerved the prince. "Excuse me, there's no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow."

"No you're not. Or you wouldn't be so unhappy." Never mind, he thought. She wasn't trying to read him… she was. He had to get out of there.

"Fine, if you don't want my help..." he turned and began to walk away.

"No, I do!" she grabbed his hand to stop him and all at once the tension that had been building up over the last few minutes began to melt away. All of the sudden his admiration for her courage and strong beliefs came back and he was struck with a dizzying sensation. He looked up to the girl and she quickly let go, obviously embarrassed.

Elphaba bent down to the Lion's cage, purposefully avoiding Fiyero's eye. "Poor little thing, its heart is trembling... I didn't mean for..."

Fiyero brought himself down as well, suddenly mesmerized. "What did you mean to do?" he asked. And then, before he could stop himself, "Why was I the only one you didn't do it to?"

As she turned back to him, his heart began to beat much faster.

"Oh look, you're bleeding..." she avoided his question. "It must have scratched you."

He couldn't look away. He suddenly noticed how beautiful her eyes were and gulped. "Yea... or maybe it scratched me."

Elphaba reached up to where the cut was on his face, and for a brief moment his heart slowed down before jumping to his feet. "I… I better get to safety... I mean the Cub... get the Cub to safety," he laughed nervously. He picked up the cage and ran off. Elphaba called out after him, but he did not stop for fear of what he might do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Fiyero continued to run until he reached the park near the edge of the city. He wasn't really sure if he was running to save the Lion so much as running to save himself, and that bothered him. As he caught his breath and opened the cage door, his mind wandered back to what had just happen. This was a bad thing, he quickly discovered, as it made his head begin to whirl again. "This is why I say it's easier not to think," he grumbled to himself.

The Lion Cub timidly reached his paws out of the cage, feeling the grass beneath his feet. "Go on, get out of here," Fiyero urged it on. "I don't want you getting both of us in trouble." A few minutes later, the Animal finally crawled out and into a nearby bush. "Good luck."

Fiyero jumped to his feet, picked up the cage, and began the walk back to Shiz. He decided that he should probably stop by to see if Galinda was feeling any better. But then he remembered that Elphaba was Galinda's roommate… and she was the last person he wanted to see at the moment. It was only then that he remembered that he was supposed ask the girl to take notes for Galinda. Not that it mattered. He got the impression that Elphaba always took notes, and even if she didn't there wasn't anything to take notes on today. As he neared the school he dropped the cage, realizing that it probably wasn't the smartest idea to waltz back into Shiz carrying it.

A few minutes later, Fiyero was greeted by a mass of golden curls. "Oh Fiyero! I heard what happened from Shen Shen and was worried because Madam Morrible found them and managed to fix the spell and she was apparently upset and I hope that Elphaba isn't going to get in trouble and that you will be okay too oh and did you really help Elphaba take the Lion and is the Lion okay?"

"Uh… what?" he asked stupidly.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, of course," he flashed Galinda a smile and the two began to walk together in silence.

After a few minutes she asked, "So what exactly happened?"

"Hmm? Oh… Elphaba got upset and accidentally cast some spell. So we ran out and decided that I would take the Lion Cub to safety. I was just on my way back."

"Oh." Galinda seemed crestfallen at the lack of details, but managed to keep smiling. "Do you want to do anything tonight? I'm feeling much better."

"I guess so." Galinda's questions were beginning to make his head hurt and he grimaced.

"Are you not feeling well, dearest? Perhaps you should lie down."

"My head does hurt."

"Oh, and you have a cut on your face."

"Yeah."

They neared a bridge that Fiyero recognized as the one nearby where he last saw Elphaba and all at once he began to feel anxious. As they passed over it, Galinda pulled him for a kiss, but for better or for worse it began to rain. Her eyes widened and she began walking again, towing him along. When they reached the other side, he couldn't help but look back. His eyes searched the ground beneath them, a piece of him silently praying that _she_ would still be there. Hoping for some sort of proof that he didn't imagine what had just happened.

"You still want to lie down?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The following morning was a Saturday, and Fiyero happily slept in. He had been up half the night before trying to keep himself from replaying the events of earlier that day, focusing on Galinda instead.

But when he finally opened his eyes close to 11 o'clock, he had mostly forgotten the episode. He passed it off as a freak occurrence and possibly nervousness for being around someone so… green.

While dressing himself, he heard a knock on his door and went to open it.

"Good morning, Fiyero!" squealed Galinda when he opened the door. He smiled and invited her in while he finished combing his hair. She was dressed in a sleeveless lavender gown, and was practically bouncing in his chair. "I want to spend the whole day with you. What do you want to do?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe go and get a bite to eat at the Peach and Kidneys? I haven't had breakfast yet, have you?

"No, I didn't get up until an hour or so ago."

"So do you want to go?"

"Sure, sounds perfect." Fiyero and Galinda walked out to the street, hand in hand. "Are you feeling better today?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"You said you had a headache yesterday, remember?"

"Oh… yeah. I'm feeling better."

After a few minutes of listening to Galinda ramble about something, Fiyero interrupted her. "Galinda?"

"What? Oh, yes, dearest?"

"Did you teach Elphaba to flip her hair like that?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"That hair tossing thing that you always do. I saw her doing it yesterday before class."

"Oh yes, that. The poor girl wouldn't have been able to come up with something like that on her own," she replied. Fiyero held in a laugh.

Most of the weekend was spent in this manner. Galinda would talk Fiyero's ear off while he stared at her curls or let his mind wander to her roommate. Of course, whenever that happened, he had to shake his head to rid himself of the image of her kneeling next to the Lion cage, looking up into his eyes. He wasn't ever so happy for a school day to begin.

He got up early in order to avoid running into Galinda before class (It wasn't that he didn't like her… it was simply because she wouldn't, or couldn't, stop talking.) The math classroom was empty when he arrived. Looking at the clock he realized he was thirty minutes early. Shrugging, Fiyero picked up his math textbook and flipped to their homework assignment for the day. It was something to do.

When Galinda arrived twenty-nine minutes later, he closed the book, finally ready to face her.

"Oh, there you are, Fiyero!" she exclaimed when she saw him. "I stopped by your room but no one answered."

"I apologize," he lied. "I woke up early and so got to class early today. But you don't have to meet me in front of my door every day. Don't worry about it from now on."

"It's no trouble, silly! Elphie is always gone long before I am so I have nothing else to do."

Elphie…. Who in Oz's name was Elphie?

"I see," he muttered.

"Class, class, settled down!" yelled their professor. "Now, take out a piece of paper and a pencil. We're having that quiz I told you about on Friday."

"Oh no," whispered Galinda. "We forgot about that!"

Fiyero smiled, having done his homework right before class began. "It won't be too hard," he whispered back.

"Yes it will, his quizzes are always so difficult, even when I do study."

"Don't worry yourself over it. It's just a quiz."

"I know, I know."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Galinda was right; the quiz was difficult. But that didn't matter anyway. As he had said, it was just a quiz. He was still alive, he was still a prince, and he had a very pretty girl sitting next to him.

When class was over, Fiyero and Galinda rushed out, eager to leave the room. Neither said anything about the quiz. What was there to say anyway? So the two quietly walked down the hall, leaving Fiyero plenty of room for the occasional thought that snuck in. As he neared the door to their history class room, one such a thought broke its way through his skull: Elphaba is in there.

For a moment the thought struck him with such a force he actually stopped walking. He had almost forgotten about the green girl. Galinda looked back to see why he had stopped, but he hardly noticed. Elphaba. Elphaba, the girl that saw through him like he was a piece of glass, would be in there.

"Are you okay, Fiyero?" Galinda asked.

That snapped him out of his confused shock. "Sorry," he shook his head. "I was just…thinking." He smiled and walked towards the open door.

"Thinking?" she gasped.

"Yes… sorry. Shall we go in?"

A very confused Galinda nodded her head and walked through the classroom door. "Oh look, Elphie is already here."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the classroom as well, and saw her. Her head was ducked deep into the book in front of her, with her long, dark hair falling over her eyes. He suddenly wanted to touch that hair. "Yes… so she is," he replied.

Galinda approached Elphaba, Fiyero in pursuit. "Hello, Elphie!" she exclaimed when she was a few feet away. Elphaba – so that's who Elphie was… what a cute nickname. He smiled in spite of himself.

Her head quickly shot up and looked between the pair in front of her. Her eyes narrowed darkly. "I thought I asked you not to call me that," she grumbled. "Especially in front of other people."

"Oh, but Fiyero isn't other people. He's Fiyero!"

Elphaba grunted, obviously restraining a retort. Fiyero said nothing.

"Well, I apologize then, _Elphaba_," she said, then turned to Fiyero. "Let's sit."

And so they sat. Fiyero, Galinda, and Elphaba in a row. As soon as she sat, the other students in the classroom began to whisper to one another. Part of him was upset because sitting by Elphaba didn't seem to be helping his image, while a second part of him was upset because he wasn't the one sitting by Elphaba. He mentally kicked himself for that thought, and glared at the desk in front of him.

From the corner of his eye he could see that while Galinda talked to Elphaba, the green girl's dark attitude seemed to dissipate. She wasn't exactly smiling, but her scowl was gone and she didn't correct her roommate when she slipped out the name Elphie. Her almost smile was kind of pretty, and he found himself wondering what she looked like when she _really_ did smile... if she ever did.

He was saved from another mental kick by their new professor clearing his throat to get the class's attention. Immediately, Fiyero shifted his glare from the desk to their professor. While doing so, he observed that the man was the same one who had brought the Lion Cub in. He was slightly disappointed that someone else would not be teaching. His eyes quickly flashed to Elphaba to see a deep scowl on her face, proving that she wasn't happy with this development either.

"Welcome to History Class," he began when the classroom quieted. "I'm afraid that last time we met I was not able to properly introduce myself, due to certain class interruptions that I am sure will not happen again." The professor paused here, as if expecting an affirmative answer from his students. When he got no answer, he continued, "I am Dr. Nikidik, and will be replacing _Dr._ Dillamond from this point on."

Fiyero dared to glance at Elphaba again, and was surprised to see that she looked even angrier than before. In fact, she was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Galinda was looking at her with a clueless look of sympathy, and Fiyero got the feeling that he simply looked dumbfounded.

"Friday," Dr. Nikidik continued, "I was beginning to teach you about a recent development in the study of Animals. I understand that this is not a science course, but I personally believe that there is much merit in understanding the basics of their kind. As you may know, study has shown that Animals with so called 'spirits' evolved from animals from mutated recessive genes that developed over time. The reason for this mutation is still unknown, but it is believed to be dangerous to both the animals and possibly our… .. civilized kind. That, of course, was the reason for the cage with the Lion Cub."

Fiyero could have sworn he heard a scoff from the girl two spaces to the right.

"If we could find a way to cure these Animals, we could prevent this _disease_ from spreading and causing further harm to these creatures. Now, with this bit of information in your heads, I am now able to move on to this history I wish to cover." Dr. Nikidik picked up a piece of chalk to begin writing. But as soon as the chalk touched the board, it snapped in two. Grumbling, he tried with the stub that was left, but that broke as well. "Cheap chalk," he muttered to himself while picking up another piece. It broke the moment he touched it. He grumbled and turned back to the classroom. "Would someone mind going to fetch me a piece of decent chalk?" he asked. After a moment of waiting, he realized that no one had volunteered. Instead, they were all staring wide-eyed at him, or rather, behind him. Turning back to the chalkboard, he saw that the broken pieces of chalk were writing on the board on their own. He gasped, stepping back, and read out loud, "Being an Animal is not a disease."

"Well, my little class, it seems that someone in this room is having trouble understanding the point of this lecture. I –" he cut himself off when the students gasped again. Turning back, he saw that there was more written on the chalkboard. "First of all, a disease is not the same thing as a 'mutated recessive gene'. Secondly, why would that explain why all of the Animals can speak?" More words wrote themselves on the board as he read aloud. "Then, even if it were true that this was caused by such a gene triggered by something, it is obvious that animals were capable of becoming Animals all along, which means that even more care _should_ be put into taking care of animals as it is." He grunted as an eraser flew off his desk and began to clear more room for words.

"Enough!" he yelled. "Who is responsible for this nonsense?" He carefully looked from student to student, his eyes lingering on Elphaba a little longer than the rest. She, Fiyero noted, looked very calm, and merely raised an eyebrow when her professor did not immediately move on. The other students sported looks of nervousness and anger. One girl in particular, the wheelchair girl, look horrified. "Speak up. Tell me now!" No one spoke. "So be it then. Class is dismissed. Come back on Wednesday with a six page paper on the historical and scientific facts about Animals and how these facts affect our culture today. Now get out of here."

The students began to file out of class. The girl in the wheelchair glared at Elphaba and she rolled herself out of the room. Galinda wore a very confused expression on her face as they walked through the door. Elphaba's face was unreadable. Her eyes looked angry, while at the same time her lips were curved into an almost unnoticeable smirk. Fiyero had no doubt that she was the one responsible for the chalk board incident. He had seen first hand what she was capable of, and the girl obviously was against those who talked poorly of Animals. The girls looked towards each other, and Elphaba nodded before walking off in a different direction.

Galinda, still confused, followed Fiyero down the hall. "What's on your mind," he asked her.

"Why did he give us that paper just because someone wrote some words on a chalk board? It's not fair; I'm already falling behind in our math class, and now this! Oh, if I ever find out who did it….. whose fault it is for adding yet another stressful thing to my life."

"Galinda…. I'm pretty sure it was your roommate."

She stopped to consider this for a moment before a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh."

"Yeah."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Fiyero stared blankly at the paper that sat on his desk. All that was there was the title, and even he didn't think it was very good. _Animals and their Effect on Humans Today._ After five minutes of staring, he picked up his pen for a second attempt.

_The Animals were evolved from animals with mutated jeans caused by an unknown trigger. Some scientists think that this trigger was a disease that could possibly harm Animals and humans._

That was all he could remember from class the day before yesterday. Thinking back on it, he didn't remember Dr. Nikidik saying much more before Elphaba began writing on the chalk board. He tried to remember what she wrote.

_Others do not agree and believe that there was no disease trigger. If anything, the Animals were meant to speak because all jeans are there from the beginning. _

His eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember what was written. Somehow he got the feeling that it didn't come out right.

_I am not sure what I believe, but I don't think it matters how they began. The fact is that Animals can talk and reason like humans, so they should be treated just as fairly as we are. All humans our respected, so Animals should be to._

He put his pen down; his head was beginning to hurt. He looked up and down his paper, amazed that he had not only written three paragraphs, but even expressed his honest opinion on the subject. He picked up his pen and signed _Fiyero Tiggular_ in the corner. He was satisfied with his paper despite the fact that it was over five and a half pages too short. _That_ was more than enough thinking for one day.

Crossing his private suite to his bed, he lay down and closed his eyes. Galinda would probably be over soon… not that the two had any plans. He wondered if she would bring anyone along… perhaps her roommate. "Elphaba," he breathed.

And then, he suddenly began to _really_ think. In his paper he had written that all humans are respected, but he realized that this wasn't true. The Quadlings were not highly respected because of their culture. The Munchkins were looked down upon both physically and socially. Even those from his home land, in the Vinkus, were typically looked at uncivilized because of their desert-like land.

And Elphaba, the green skinned girl, the girl who fought against the propaganda against Animal rights was looked down upon by almost the entire school, and no doubt by the entirety of Oz. He felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach as the realization of the hypocrisy of the situation finally set in.

A sudden knock on the door made him jump. "Fiiiiyero!" Galinda's voice rang from the other side. "Are you there?"

He didn't want to answer her. He was thinking, and although it hurt, he surprisingly didn't want it to stop. After a few minutes and one last knock, he could hear Galinda walking away.

Sliding off his bed, he reached for his pen and paper and picked up where he had left off.

_Animals effect us more than we think they do, and in return, we effect them. Despite how we like to think of our race and our world as balanced and fair, it isn't. The different peoples and cultuers of Oz are treated differently. Most people look up to the Gillikinese of the north, while the Quadlings of the south are often treated like savages. But in the end, we are all the same. We are human beings who all deserve to be respect despite our differences. The same idea goes for Animals. They are but another one of the groups of people in Oz, but they are put on the bottom rung. They are the scapegoat, the group that is put below everyone else so that everyone can feel better about themselves. This is how they effect our culture. Not by possible disease._

It wasn't six pages… it wasn't even one page. But something in Fiyero told him to be proud of himself. Something told him that what he had just written was different. It meant something. With a satisfied smile, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He was very quiet throughout their math class the next day. He hardly looked at Galinda, but instead at the professor. A few times Fiyero even scribbled down what the teacher had written on the chalk board. Galinda looked worried and kept leaning over to ask if something was wrong.

After class, he rushed out of the classroom without even waiting for her.

"Fiyero, wait!" she called after him.

He turned to see the bouncy girl running after him with her hand up in the air. "Sorry."

She nodded her head in acceptance to his apology and began walking with him. "So," she began. "Are you sure you are well? You've been acting strange all day."

"Yes, Galinda. I'm fine."

"Oh."

They reached the door to History and Fiyero held it open for her. Galinda smiled again, and sat down next to Elphaba. He took his seat next to Galinda, just how it had been a few days before. He could see both girls taking their papers out of their bags, and so he reached down to do the same. It was still just one page, and seeing that even Galinda had written the full six made him feel a bit ashamed. Looking past her, he noticed that Elphaba's stack of paper was even thicker.

"Welcome, class!" Dr. Nikidik exclaimed as he walked through the door. "Please take out your papers and exchange them with the person two places to your right. You will be reading another classmate's paper and commenting on it for the next twenty minute."

There was a rustle of papers and Fiyero tentatively handed his to Elphaba. He was suddenly very afraid of what she might think of it.

Some boy that Fiyero did not know handed one to him and he picked it up. His eyes scanned the title, _Why Animals Should Be Kept in Cages_, and he cringed. He couldn't read this, he decided. It would make him sick. He glanced to the girls on his right. Galinda was scribbling with her pink pen on the top of the paper she was reading. _Great Penmanship,_ he read. Past her, Elphaba's eyes were slowly scanning his paper. He saw her try to suppress a laugh at something, and then a scoff. He almost blushed in embarrassment.

But then, her eyes softened. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief, and she began to read faster. In less than a minute she was done, and she turned her head towards him. Their eyes met and Fiyero smiled tentatively before swallowing. He suddenly felt just like he had the day they rescued the Lion Cub together. His usual careless expression was gone, and he was scared. If she didn't approve of what he wrote, he felt like he would die. This was suddenly the most important thing.

Her lips curved into an almost undetectable smile and she nodded her head before pulling her eyes away. But he couldn't do that just yet. He kept looking… kept watching. The girl let her guard down without knowing and let a genuine smile slip through. His heart melted. So that's what she looks like when she smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Searching for something, anything, to distract him, he read the title to the paper in front of him again. _Why Animals Should Be Kept in Cages._ Picking up his pen, he circled and wrote, _Stupid Title._ For the remaining fifteen minutes, he stared off in space, trying to keep his mind of Elphaba.

"Time is up!" Their professor yelled after twenty minutes had gone by. "Pass your paper back to who wrote it. I'll give you a minute to look over what was written by your classmate, and then pass them in."

Fiyero turned and handed the paper back to boy his came from. The boy's eyes immediately looked down to see what was written and his eyes darkened into a glare. Fiyero shrugged and turned back. Elphaba had already slid his paper to his desk, her head turned away. Written on the top of his paper was, _You should check your spelling, punctuation, and be careful of homophones._

He then looked at her comment on the bottom. _I am glad to see that you are not as self absorbed and shallow as you pretend to be._

This made him smile, as his mind raced back to the week before when he and Elphaba freed the Lion.

"Pass them in, pass them in," Dr. Nikidik said impatiently. As soon as he had them his briefcase he picked up some chalk and began his lecture. "I expect that there will not be any more chalk episodes in this class. Now, as I was saying Monday, the science behind Animals is very important to understand to gain a proper understanding of their history."

Fiyero tuned out, partially out of boredom, partially because he didn't want to listen to Dr. Nikidik go on about how Animals are beneath them, and partially because he would rather think about Elphaba. He placed his head down on his folded arms and relaxed. Suddenly tired, he let himself drift to sleep.

"Fiyero!" he heard Galinda call. Galinda? Why was she in his room? He groggily opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. A blonde head loomed over him with eyes of concern. Looking past the girl, he realized that he was not in his private suite, but instead in his history classroom.

"'M'wake," he grumbled.

"Class is over, Fiyero. Did you want to go and get lunch?"

He stretched his arms out while yawning, "sure."

"Well come on, sleepy."

More awake now, he saw that everyone had left the classroom, including Dr. Nikidik. "Where's Elphaba?" he asked without showing any emotion.

"She rushed away mumbling something about her sister as soon as class let out."

Wait? Elphaba had a sister? "Ah."

"So, to the cafeteria?"

"Sure," he was hungry, after all. Fiyero rose from his chair and walked out of the classroom with Galinda. "So," he began as they walked out the doors of the building, "I saw you finished the six page paper. How did you manage to fill that much up?"

"Oh I don't remember everything I wrote," she smiled. "I just rambled mostly, repeating myself a lot. The guy who looked over it said that he really liked it, so I'm sure Dr. Nikidik will. What about you?"

"I only got a page done. Short and to the point."

"Good luck with your grades then."

"Didn't I tell you? I don't care about that sort of thing. It's just school."

"True."

Fiyero held the door open for Galinda as they entered the cafeteria and looked around. "Ooh!" Galinda shouted. "There's Elphie and Nessa!"

Eyes following Galinda's figure that was openly pointing to the pair, he quickly found who she was pointing too. Not that it would be too hard without Galinda's help: Elphaba was, after all, green. He was surprised to note that the wheelchair girl was sitting next to her. He suddenly realized why he thought she looked familiar when he first saw her… she looked remarkably like Elphaba. They must have been sisters. Hearing Galinda's shout, the girls looked up. Nessa smiled while Elphaba rolled her eyes and looked back down at her food. "So it would appear," he stated blandly, before he moved his eyes away.

After getting their food from the line, (Fettuccini Alfredo) Galinda marched up to Elphaba and Nessa, Fiyero lazily following. They sat, Galinda across from Elphaba and Fiyero across from her sister.

"Elphie," Galinda addressed and Elphaba shot her head up. "Why did you run out of class so quick today?"

"I told you, I had to help Nessa," she said looking straight at her friend.

"I wish you didn't have to help," Nessa cut in. "I was hoping Boq would meet me there. I wonder where he is…"

Galinda answered, "I'm sure he'll show up soon. Maybe he had something to do before lunch?"

A nagging suspicion the back of Fiyero's mind told him that if Boq did come to their table it would only be because Galinda would be there. Somehow that didn't bother him, though he did feel the _tiniest_ bit of sorrow for the handicapped girl. He nodded his head in agreement, figuring that would count as showing his sympathy. Out of the corner of his eye (he refused to look straight at her) he could see Elphaba frowning. Before he could stop himself, he turned his head and opened his mouth. "What's wrong, Elphaba? You look glum."

Her eyes widened. "I… uh nothing."

"Surely something is the matter?"

She looked back down and swallowed. "It's either nothing or everything then. If you really wanted to know I could go on for hours."

Fiyero's eyes shot up to the clock. "Well, I don't have hours at the moment, but maybe some other time?" he mentally kicked himself. What was he saying?

"Uh…"

Galinda jumped in, "She looks fine to me. But if you want to talk tonight, we can."

"No, Galinda," Elphaba said, blushing a darker shade of green. "It's nothing out of the ordinary anyways. Please don't worry about me guys."

"Okay," she shrugged.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply eating. As they sat, the thought occurred to Fiyero that it was a strange ritual… eating. Why is it that people eat together? Where did it start that people sat around and shoved stuff into their mouth while staring at one another? As he thought he crinkled up his nose. He didn't notice the weird look that Galinda gave him as she noticed he was, well, thinking. All he noticed was that when he looked up from his food Elphaba was watching him with a curious look on her face. Their eyes met for a second before he looked away and began eating again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"What are you doing down there?" he asked her one day. She was sitting on the floor of the hall outside her room, head thrown back in frustration.

She peaked an eye opening before sighing and shutting it again. "Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" she replied icily.

Technically speaking, he didn't have a girlfriend, but he got the impression that this wasn't the best moment to correct her. "Who, Galinda?" he asked innocently.

She ignored him.

"So…" he looked around the hallway with a bored expression, "are you locked out or something?"

"You could say that," she muttered.

"Galinda in there?"

"Yep."

It took him a few moments for him to realize that Galinda must have locked her roommate out. Curious why, but knowing that he would never get a straight answer out of Elphaba in this mood, he changed tactics.

"Come," he reached his hand down towards her. "I owe you a talk, remember?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I seem to recall a certain green girl saying that either nothing or everything was wrong."

Elphaba made a noise in her throat.

Fiyero did not move his hand.

Elphaba did not budge, keeping her eyes closed.

"You're not going to force me to break my word, now are you, Miss Elphie?"

She opened her eyes and grimaced, though he could not tell if this was because of the prospect of breaking her word, the cheap sounding reasoning, or Galinda's perky nickname. Whatever it was, he was surprised a moment later when she reached her hand into his.

That brief moment of contact was enough to remind him just how unnerving he found Elphaba Thropp to be. But instead of letting him pull her up (it took him a few seconds to remember that was what he was supposed to do,) she tugged on his hand, pulling him downward. "I'm not budging until Galinda opens that door," she staid. "You want to talk? Sit with me. Besides," she added while glancing out the window, "it's raining."

Fiyero obliged. She made him weak kneed anyways. He wasn't sure if he could stand. He leaned himself up against the same wall, a few inches away from her.

"So," she said after a minute had gone by. Fiyero hadn't spoken because he had lost his social nerve for the… third time in his life? Funny how each time it was around her. Dang it, he didn't want to feel this way about her.

But at the same time, he (surprisingly) genuinely cared. "Um, well – uh what was wrong the other day?"

"The usual."

"Which is?"

"I'm green. Dr. Nikidik is going to mark my paper down because I can think for myself. Boq doesn't really care about my sister – you get the idea."

"If it helps you feel any better, I'm going to get a failing grade on mine. But I'm sure you already knew that."

She smiled a little. It made his pulse rise. "You also thought for yourself," she replied. "Combine that with the fact that it was only a page – you're probably right. But rest assured, he hates me more."

He wasn't going to argue that. "Haha, that's what you get for writing on the chalkboard."

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked slyly. "I never touched any chalk."

"You must be powerful if you're able to do that much your first year. Is that what you're studying? Sorcery?"

"Yes, but I'm not very good at controlling it yet – as you saw the other day with… with the Lion cub."

The day of the Lion cub. Whenever he thought about it (which was often) it sent chills down his spine. He inched closer to her.

Part of him wanted to talk to her about that day, but he couldn't bring himself top open his mouth. Head now turned away, he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

He noticed that she looked about as uncomfortable as he felt. She was looking away, biting her lip, her long black hair now covering half of her face. He suddenly wanted to touch it. After a moment of building up his courage, he brushed her stray hair behind her ear. She was beautiful. Why didn't he see that the moment she walked through the doors of the Ozdust Ballroom?

Elphaba looked at him, wide-eyed. This seemed to bring him out of his trance, causing him to turn his head a mumble a, "sorry."

She nodded her head in a stunned "yes," and looked back to the floor.

"I – uh. Why – why did Galinda lock you out?" he managed to force out, desperate to distract him from what just happened.

"Ask Galinda," she whispered, still staring at the floor.

"You – you don't know?"

She managed to force out a chuckle, "No one could ever fully understand the workings of a blonde girl's mind."

He was glad to see that he didn't make her so uncomfortable she lost her sense of humor…. Or did she really mean that? "Should I knock, do you think?"

"Be my guest."

He stood shakily, and rapped his fist on the door.

"Who is it?" he heard Galinda's voice ring out inside.

"Fiyero."

"Oh! Coming dearest!" A moment later she appeared, and Fiyero turned his head to see if Elphaba was going to re-enter her room now that the door was open.

But she was gone. Somewhere in those few moments, the girl managed to slip away. All for the better, he thought. Goodness knows what he'd do if his heart continued to beat so fast.

He knew he would never have that problem if he was just around Galinda.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Galinda invited him in. He stood for a moment, amazed by Elphaba's quick disappearance, and walked inside. She bustled about the room, doing one thing or another, and he observed. The right half of the dorm was pink and frilly. A large rack of shoes hung from the closet door, a large white dresser with a big round mirror next to it. On the dresser sat various make-up products, hairbrushes, and Galinda's training wand. Her desk was just as cluttered.

The left half, he observed, was very different. A plain, neatly made bed with muted colors sat not far from Galinda's side. Elphaba's dresser and desk had books on them, neatly stacked. Upon closer inspection, he noticed they were arranged in alphabetical order. Somehow, this made him smile.

Fiyero turned, looking back at Galinda. Now was not the time to think about the green girl.

"Have you seen Elphie?" she asked when she noticed he was looking at her again.

This caught him off guard. He was trying _not_ to think about her, much less talk about her. "I… uh," he wasn't sure what to say. "No?"

Galinda smiled, "Oh good! That means she actually went where I told her to go. I was afraid she'd just sit in the hallway all night."

"Oh." He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. In fact, he wasn't sure how to respond to lots of things that Galinda said. "Where was she supposed to go?"

"That's between Elphie and me," she giggled.

Fiyero raised an eyebrow.

Galinda sighed a happy yet dramatic sigh, and continued, "All right, I'll tell you. But only because you insist. The other night I noticed Elphie was acting strangely and so I started guessing why. First I thought that maybe she was upset about Dr Nikidik, you know how she doesn't seem to like that man very much, or maybe something that Nessa said or maybe, Luraline forbid, I did something to make her upset… how could I ever do something to make her upset? I still can't see why she didn't like me very much when we first met. Everyone likes me, don't they dearest? Perhaps that's an understatement, we loathed each other. Actually, thinking about it I realize that I was sort of mean to her back then… but that's not the point!

"I was guessing why she was acting strangely and of course she denied everything I said – though she did through in that I was apparently annoying her and so therefore I did do something to make her upset, but not until I started to interrogate her. But I was only worried about her. And then, I suddenly had an apostrophe and realized that maybe she likes someone! So I said this, and she denied it, but not before hesitating. I'm sure of it now! Elphie likes a boy, and I'm going to make her do something about it."

Fiyero blinked, his mind racing to catch up to what Galinda had just said. Elphaba… Elphaba liked someone? He felt a sharp intake of breath and he scowled. "Ah…" he was speechless. "I, um. That's interesting," he tried to keep his cool. "So where is she now?"

"I made her leave and go talk to him. I told her I wouldn't let her back into the room until she did."

So that was why she looked so upset when he first found her in the hall. She wasn't _just_ locked out. She was kicked out because Galinda thought she needed to talk to some… guy. Someone else.

Despite himself, Fiyero felt a surge of jealousy. He didn't want Elphaba to like someone else. He wanted her to disappear. He wanted her to look at him and only him. He wanted to forget he ever met her. He wanted to kiss her.

He wanted to punch something.

"Excuse me," he said as politely as he could for his mood, "I have somewhere I have to be." He turned quickly and left the room, Galinda protesting. Their dorm was not the place to be if he wanted to forget about her. He marched down the hallway, down the stairs, and all the way to the door. But as he approached the exit, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Elphaba was standing there, looking out the window and into the rain. Her back was turned to him and he swallowed. He couldn't forget about her. She was far too… he didn't have the word for it. She was Elphaba. Green, sarcastic, intelligent, strong, and beautiful.

Hearing him sigh, she turned her head and opened her eyes in alarm. "Down so soon? I thought you would be talking to my roommate longer."

He couldn't find his voice. Instead, he nodded his head and walked outside.

He hated loving her.

It made him think.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry it's taken so long. I promise I won't ever completely drop this story. I'm also sorry that this is another short chapter. That's just my writing style.

Anyways, I've gone back and updated almost every chapter. I've even made some major changes – including the beginning. Also, Elphaba hasn't received the letter from the Wizard yet. I encourage you to re-read the story so far so you won't be confused later down the road. When you've finished reading the chapter, _please_ **review** and let me know. I'll be much more likely to put up my next chapter sooner if you do. It's almost finished. And now – on to chapter Eleven.

**Chapter 11**

"Fiyero?" Galinda asked one day about a week later. He was staring into his coffee cup that sat on the table at the Peach and Kidneys.

"Hmm?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Uh… nothing."

"You've been doing that a lot lately."

"Have I?"

"Yes… you have. A lot."

"Oh."

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he laughed softly, shaking his head. Well, there _was_ something wrong. But at the same time it felt so good. He tried as hard as he could to forget her… to pretend Elphaba didn't exist. Such a task was impossible though. He had never been in love before. Sure, he had certainly liked girls, and found many of them _very_ attractive… but love? He had met her less than two weeks ago, her voice was the first he heard when he arrived at Shiz. But as much as he enjoyed that soaring feeling whenever he thought of her, still he felt heavy and very confused.

"Fiyero!"

"What?" he snapped his eyes back to Galinda.

"You spaced out again."

"Um… sorry?"

She sighed in frustration and muttered, "I just don't get you anymore," and marched out of the restaurant.

For a moment stared after her, but then returned his gaze to his coffee cup. He wasn't sure if was supposed to follow her. She may be so angry that she didn't want to talk to him right now, or she may have been trying to get his attention. That was the problem with girls – they never made sense.

He quickly sat up and left some money on the table. Rushing out of the restaurant, he raced to catch up with Galinda.

She was marching away, her little gloved hands curled up in frustration. "Hey!" he called out to her. "Hey… Galinda! I'm sorry."

She stopped and turned to face him. He caught up with her and gave her a quick hug. "It's not you, Galinda. I just have something on my mind."

She looked genuinely surprised.

"I've… been thinking," he continued. "I uh – I'm afraid my grades aren't good enough for me to continue going to Shiz," this was true. He got his grade back on his 'six-page' paper earlier that week. A bright red 'F' was penned on the top. He wasn't doing much better in his other classes. He remembered the look of rage on Elphaba's face when she discovered that she had only received a 'C' on her paper. He would have loved a C. But Elphaba had worked hard on her paper… harder than he had worked on his. All in all it was fourteen pages thick. Fourteen pages of well-researched, perfectly logical and reasonable arguments against Animal repression. At least that is what she had grumbled to both him and Galinda as soon as class ended. "And so… if I get expelled I won't be able to stay. That means I won't be able to see you anymore."

Galinda's expression melted into a smile. "Oh Fiyero!" she jumped onto him with a massive hug. "I guess that is a good reason to be worried. I would miss you so much!"

Fiyero smiled, happy that he was able to find something to say to Galinda to cheer her up. "I'd miss you too." He tugged lightly on one of her bouncy curls and she looked up. Standing on the tips of her toes, she leaned in to kiss him. Generally speaking, he had be avoiding her kisses the past week, but he felt that if he weren't to kiss her back he would be in great trouble this time. His lips met hers and he closed his eyes. It was only supposed to be a quick little peck on the lips, but when he closed his eyes he imagined Elphaba and felt something much deeper.

Needless to say, when they separated a full minute later, Galinda was very happy and Fiyero was very dizzy. He wanted to see the green girl – now.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**Most of this will look rather familiar to most of you… sorry about that. I know that many people read the last chapter, thanks to the page view count, but I did hope to have more than one review. Please don't disappoint me! Even if it's just to let me know you read it, or to correct a typo or something, I would really appreciate it.

**Chapter 12**

He was greeted the following morning by a flurry of bouncing curls. Galinda had barged into his room wearing a lacey spring-green dress that reached down to her knees.

"You look excited this morning," he said as he stretched.

"Well, yes! I am!"

"Well, aren't you going to tell me why?" he sat up in his bed and rubbed his head.

"Elphie got a letter from the Wizard! She's going to go to the Emerald City to see him!"

"Oh."

"You're not happy for her?"

"Of course I am," he really was. But he was confused. "Why did the Wizard invite her?"

"Because of her magic abilities, of course. She is very good after all. You know, she's the one who got me into the Sorcery Program."

"Oh, really?" He got out of bed and began combing his hair.

"Yes, a few weeks ago, when we were at the Ozdust Ballroom, Madam Morrible gave me my training wand. She told me that my roommate was the one who influenced her to do it."

"So when is she leaving?" he asked after a minute.

"Next weekend, right before spring break. Madam Morrible still has to work out all of the details."

"Ah." He didn't want Elphaba to leave. But maybe it would be easier that way. Not having to see her would help him get over her faster.

"I really am so excited for her! Pfanee and Shen Shen didn't seem to care, but then again they don't really like her… goodness, I didn't even like her until a few weeks ago, who would have thought we could become friends so fast! Like last night we were up late talking about how she is going to the Emerald City, well I was talking anyway, she was mostly smiling, which is very nice by the way because she used to never smile and now she has the dreamy look on her face which I think is so sweet and everything but that's not my point… _I_ was talking and we were laughing and having the greatest time when…." Fiyero began to tune Galinda out after he realized she wasn't going to pause to breathe. With all of her rambles and hair flipping, he was beginning to find her one of the most entertaining girls he had ever known. Not that he particularly liked her headache causing rambles. "And Pfanee just walked out like that with her nose stuck in the air and the strange thing was that I didn't even care and so Elphie and I just kept laughing and laughing until–"

"Galinda?"

"Oh, yes, sweetie?"

"You're rambling."

She scrunched her face up in confusion, obviously unable to comprehend the problem.

"Never mind. So, it's the weekend. Want to do something tonight?"

"Ooh, yes. We should all celebrate with Elphie! We could all go out to eat and have a party with champagne and everything. Ooh, I've got to tell her!"

"No reason to tell her. We could make it a surprise."

"I guess. I'm not sure she'll like a surprise though."

"I'm not sure she'll like a party at all, Galinda," he smiled.

"Haha, I guess you're right. Well, I'll get going and invite everyone. I love parties!"

"Uh… who do you mean by 'everyone'?"

"Well…everyone. You, me, Pfanee, Shen Shen, Milla, Biq, Nessa, and anyone else I happen to run into along the way."

"You should probably cut the guest list down to her friends. Like us, her sister, and Boq. I think she'll be more comfortable that way."

Galinda's eyes darkened a bit when he stated that he thought something, but he didn't care. "Oh… okay. Well! I'll see you later tonight!"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I've created a C2 Community for musical-based fiyerba fics. Blue Diamonds and Green Emeralds. There is also a forum to along with it. I've even issued a challenge for all of you Fiyeraba writers. So, Go – visit – and enjoy.

**Chapter 13**

"Ooh, Elphie, just come out. It's just dinner!" A high-pitched voice rang through the door.

"I have too much homework, Galinda."

"But you have to come, today's special! Besides, you can't let all the guests down."

"Three people, Galinda. Four if you want to count yourself. And not one of them are going to be heartbroken if I don't show up. Go have a party without me if you're so eager to celebrate."

"But-"

"No."

"Ooh, sometimes you make me so mad!"

The split-second warning of footsteps wasn't enough warning for Fiyero to jump out of the way. The door jerked open, hitting him squarely on the nose. "Ouch! Watch where you swing that thing!"

Paying no regard to his cry of pain, she slammed the door behind her, let out a scream of frustration, and turned to face him. "Your turn," Galinda grunted, pointing her finger to his face.

"What?! You just hit my head and that's all you have to say?"

"Serves you right for eavesdropping."

"I wasn't eavesdropping."

"Then why were you standing so close to the door," she glanced over at the offending slab of wood and Fiyero grunted. "Just try, I give up. She won't listen to me."

"What could I possibly have to say that you didn't?"

"Can't hurt."

"I beg to differ," he said, pointing to his nose.

"Just," she pushed him back to the door and forced it open, "go."

A moment later he was shoved inside with the door closed. Still rubbing his face, he surveyed the room and looked for Elphaba. Turning his head he saw her, hunched over her desk, writing something. Her long, dark hair was once again loose, hiding her face in the shadows. Fiyero quickly repressed his desire to touch it, and instead walked up beside the desk and waved to get her attention. She ignored him.

"Miss Elphaba…"

"Yes, Master Tiggular?"

"Uh… come?"

"Hmm… let me see. No. I have homework to do."

"It's just one night, I'll promise to make sure Galinda won't keep you long. That way you could do more homework tonight after we get back."

She looked up from her paper and sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Look, Fiyero. I know you're the type of guy who likes parties and such, but I'm not that girl. I actually care about my future and so must work on this project for Life Sciences. As I told my roommate a minute ago, you guys should just go out and enjoy yourself."

"I couldn't enjoy it knowing that you were here."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh come on, Elphie, we really want you there."

"Don't call me that," she said as she looked back down to her paper and picked up her pen.

"I apologize. Now, Elphaba – I have just one more question to ask you."

"Ask away, though I can't promise that I'll answer."

"Is your homework for a class you're already excelling in that much important than your friends?" he moved his hand onto hers to stop her from writing. She slowly looked up at him, her face hidden once more by her hair. "Than me?"

Their eyes met and Fiyero swallowed. She still looked skeptical, but at the same time confused. He eyes darted down to their hands and she slowly pulled away. "Fine. I'll go. But it better not last too long or I'll hold you personally responsible."

"Hey, no worries. Responsible is my middle name."

After returning to the hallway to tell Galinda he managed to convince Elphaba to come, she squealed and ran back into the room to give her roommate yet another one of her Galinda-fying makeovers. Part of him – a very large part – hoped that she wouldn't do too great of a job at it because he was having a hard enough time as it was. Makeup-less and in a plain black dress and she was beautiful. But one of Galinda's strongest merits was her sense of fashion, and this he knew. So standing at the entrance of the restaurant a few hours later, he told himself that no matter how the green girl looked when she showed up, he wouldn't let his face show that he noticed.

The sound of slow-moving wheels and footsteps coming close to him brought Fiyero out of his reverie and he turned to see Boq and Nessa waving to him. Nessa smiled, but the munchkin kid had a bored expression on his face. They joined him and waited. Fiyero turned to face the restaurant, watching people through the windows.

The remaining wait wasn't long though, for a few minutes later he heard Nessa cry out, "Oh look, there she is!"

Fiyero breathed in deep and turned around. He was right – Galinda did do a good job. Elphaba was stunning. She wore a deep purple dress that flared out at the bottom (how Galinda managed to convince the green girl to wear a color other than her signature black he'd never know) and her hair down, straight, and as beautiful as ever. Their eyes met for a few seconds before he remembered he was supposed to keep his mouth closed.

He really wished she would stop having that effect on him. Lurline, she was Galinda's roommate! Galinda was the pretty and popular one, the one that his parents might actually approve of if he ever brought her home to meet them. Elphaba was… she was green. And incredibly outspoken. He was the Arjiki prince – things like this really did matter. How in Oz could anyone attracted to her anyway?

Oh, right. Her hair, her eyes, and her smile.

Fiyero shook his head and realize that everyone was heading on inside, and he followed. The group headed up to a small alcove above the main floor. Pointedly refusing to allow himself to look at Elphaba, he turned his attention to the rest of the group and smiled. Boq was helping Nessa into her place while staring at Galinda. There was something he didn't like about that guy. A waiter soon came by and everyone ordered.

"So when are you going to tell us what this is all about, Galinda?" Nessarose asked politely while Boq nodded in agreement.

"Well, I suppose I should let Elphie be the one to tell you. Go ahead, Elphie."

While everyone else turned to face the green girl, he continued to look in the direction of Nessa.

"I– I got a letter from the Wizard. He wants me to meet him!"

Nessa's face fell into shock. "What? This isn't about your sorcery class, is it?"

"Well, yes. Madam Morrible says I have great potential."

"Father would disapprove. He always said that magic was the sleight of hand of the devil."

The table went quiet and Fiyero could feel the tension between the sisters without even looking at Elphaba.

After a minute of awkward silence, Galinda spoke up. "Sorcery doesn't have to be that. What about the common witches that magick their cows so they don't go mooing over the edge of some cliff? They could never afford to put a fence on every ledge there. There isn't anything inherently either religious or nonreligious about sorcery, it doesn't have to supplant religion, does it?"

Fiyero turned to look at her, he was impressed. He had never heard anything quite so intelligent come out of Galinda's mouth and he was shocked to hear it.

"It may not have to," said Nessa, "but if it tends to, then have we a duty to be wary of it?"

"Oh, wary, well, I'm wary of the water I drink, it might be poisoned," said Glinda, who was obviously starting to get frustrated. "That doesn't mean I stop drinking water."

"Well, I don't think it's so big an issue," interrupted Elphaba, "but then, I'm an atheist and an aspiritualist."

"You say that to shock and scandalize," answered Nessa. "Glinda, don't listen to a word of her. She always does this, usually to make Father irate."

"Father's not around," Elphaba reminded her sister.

"Ladies, we're here to celebrate!" Fiyero finally turned towards Elphaba. "Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

"Yes, congratulations, Miss Elphaba," Boq spoke.

The girls didn't say anything, though Elphaba nodded her head. The waiter brought them their food, and Fiyero requested saffron cream.

Galinda, who was still pouting over Nessa's comments against sorcery was staring intently at her sandwich. Fiyero tried to make conversation, but she simply said, "hush."

"Um… okay. Soooo, Boq. How are things with you?"

Boq was the only other person on the table without an angry look on his face, so he felt he was the most approachable. "Great. Just great," he answered.

Scratch that, he wasn't exactly in the best mood either. Perhaps it had something to do with the torn look he was sporting. He kept turning his head between Galinda and Nessa, unsure of what to say and who to say it to.

Galinda was still staring at the sandwich on her plate. Fiyero was just about to say something about it when a sudden light _boom_ was heard.

The sandwich exploded all over Galinda and Elphaba's face, and the next moment everyone was laughing.

"What in Oz's named happened?" Fiyero managed to get out between bursts of laughter.

"I… I was trying to make the sandwich fly and…well. I'm not too good yet, I guess!" Galinda answered, apparently back to her old self.

"Haha, I guess not. It still tastes like olives," Elphaba giggled.

The waiter came back, bringing Fiyero's cream and looked at the mess, tutting and shaking his head. The five friends continued in their laughter, although Galinda was eyeing the saffron cream with confusion.

"You know," said Fiyero. "I thought I would order this cream simply because it was yellow—"

"Why yellow?" asked Boq.

"I like yellow."

"That's only because that's the Vinkus's colors," said Elphaba.

"Your point?"

Elphaba shrugged.

"As I was saying," he continued. "I ordered this cream because I like yellow, but as long as you're covered in Galinda's sandwich, I think it would look very with green."

Fiyero grabbed a handful of cream and threw it at Elphaba's face. She gasped, her mouth wide open for a moment, before taking some of her own and throwing it back at him.

Thus began the creamfight that got the kicked out of the restaurant the moment the waiter saw.

**A/N:** Many of you will recognize this chapter as a bit of a tribute to the book. I couldn't help it – who doesn't want a sandwich to explode on their face or a saffron cream fight?

Anyways, please stop by my forum to see the challenge. I'm sure it's going to be a fun one to write and I can't wait to see what you come up with. Let me know if you're going to work on it.

Thanks – and review!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **As stated before, there is a challenge I would love if you would participate in. Pretty please? So far all I've got are 1.5 participants.

**Chapter 14**

The following week went by fast. Before he knew it, Fiyero found that it was Friday night and that it was driving him crazy.

He liked Elphaba. A lot. She was pretty (in her own sort of way) and smart, and whenever he looked into her eyes he felt something he had never felt before.

He also liked Galinda. She was very pretty, sweet, usually kind, and always entertaining.

He respected both of them a lot for their capabilities, passions, and personalities.

The fact that they were roommates and best friends didn't help the situation.

Fiyero paced back and forth across his room with a scowl planted on his face. He knew he should just tell Elphaba how he felt. It was obvious to him that he liked her more… but he couldn't hurt Galinda. He cared about her too much for that.

Not to mention the green thing. He parents would hate that.

He leaned his head back in frustrated and growled out loud. Why did it have to be so complicated? Girls were never complicated before. You see a pretty girl? You date her. It was as simple as that. But now there were two perfectly wonderful girls in his once-perfect life who were destroying it.

Sitting down on his bed with his head in his hands, Fiyero let out a sigh. "I have to tell her," he whispered out loud.

The following morning, he woke up early before Galinda could come by. He quickly dressed himself and rushed out the door, determined to find a way to say something to the green girl. He couldn't very well walk right up to her and say what was on his mind… Galinda would be there. There was no chance that he'd get her alone today.

He quickly glanced down at his watched and grimaced. One and a half hours before her train for the Emerald City would leave. He sped up.

Fiyero didn't stop walking until he arrived at the little park where he released the Lion Cub all those weeks ago. Technically speaking, he didn't stop there either. Instead, he took to pacing the area the same way he had paced his room the night before.

"Okay," he spoke suddenly. "So – it will go like this. Elphaba – I like you even though you're Galinda's roommate and you're green."

He grunted. No – that wouldn't work.

"Um – Remember that day when we saved the Lion cub? Yeah, me too."

That sounded stupid, but he continued anyways. "So, when that happened I started liking you. Yeah. Because you have pretty hair and eyes."

Fiyero kicked a rock and decided to just go buy flowers instead. Maybe by then he would figure out what to say.

When he entered the flower shop a little bell rang overhead. A plump women poked her head out from behind a door and smiled at him. "Anything I can help you with, young man?"

"Um. Yes. I'm looking for flowers."

She chuckled the responded, "you've come to the right place. Who are the flowers for?"

"A friend? Er… she's a girl."

The woman nodded her head and smiled. "Then you probably would want some roses. Am I right?"

"Maybe. Can I see?"

"They're right in front of you."

"Oh – right."

"Yes."

He gazed at the roses for a moment before shaking his head. "No, she won't like these. They're too – bright."

The woman gave him an incredulous look, but Fiyero missed it because he turned to look at the rest of the store. His gaze drifted to some dark purple flowers. Elphaba liked dark colors, right? She was always dressed in them. He approached them, fingering the stems.

"Those?" the plump woman asked. "Those – for someone you want to be your girlfriend?"

"Yes," he spoke confidently. "She doesn't like bright things."

"How many? A dozen?"

"No, she wouldn't like that. I think."

He cautiously pulled a few of the purple flowers out of their container and turned to the desk to pay. The woman studied his face as he pulled out his wallet. As he handed her the pay, she gasped. "You're… Fiyero Tiggular? The Winkie Prince?"

"Uh. Yes. Yes I am. How much for the flowers?"

Fiyero walked out of the store a little calmer, but he was still a little shaky. He hadn't a clue of what to say to Elphaba when he met her at the station. He glanced at his watch. Half an hour. He would be fine, the station was only about five minutes away.

Five minutes later he stood outside the station. Five minutes after that he convinced himself to go in. He peered over the railing to see Elphaba and Galinda saying their goodbyes and he rushed to catch up.

"Fiyero, over here dearest!" he heard Galinda call out to him, but his eyes were on Elphaba as he reached the bouquet out to her.

"Elphaba, I'm happy for you," he stated shakily.

Galinda came up to him, putting her arm through his. "Yes, we are both so happy." He barely noticed.

"Uh, listen, I've been thinking," he began.

"So I've heard," Elphaba interjected. Not sure what she meant, he continued.

"About that Lion cub and... everything," he desperately hoped this would be enough for her to understand him. "I – I think about that day a lot."

"Really?" she asked. "So do I."

His eyes widened, hopeful that she might feel the same way.

"Me too!" shouted Galinda. "Poor Doctor Dillamond. It makes one want to... uh... take a stand. So I've been thinking of... uh..." she paused to think, "changing my name."

"Your name?" Fiyero asked, confused.

"Well, yes! Since Doctor Dillamond had his own way of pronouncing my name, in solidarity and to express my outrage, I will henceforward be known no longer as Galinda, but as simply, Glinda." She waved her hand with a flourish.

"Oh well, that's very admirable of you... Glinda." He shook his head in confusion before turning back to the green girl. "Elphaba, good luck."

With that he rushed out of the station as quick as possible. He wouldn't – couldn't wait for Galinda.

But then he felt sick, so sat down on a bench outside and closed his eyes.

"Fiyero?" he heard a few minutes later. He cracked open an eye to see Galinda hovering over him. "Fiyero! Elphie asked me to come with her. Could you help me get my things really quick? The train leaves in just fifteen minutes!"

"What?" he asked.

"Hurry! We have to run!" she took off as fast as she could, and he followed.

"Wait, Galinda! What's going on?"

"It's Glinda now. And I already told you, I'm going with Elphie!"

Luckily the girl's dorms weren't far, so they were able to make it there and back just before the train took off. Galinda quickly kissed his cheek goodbye and rushed onto the train. Fiyero's eyes wandered through the windows until the rested on Elphaba, who was look right back at him. "Goodbye," he mouthed. And with that, he turned and walked away.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Sorry it's so short. I couldn't add anymore onto it without it feeling awkward. On the bright side – you get it a little sooner!

**Chapter 15**

"Hello," stated Boq as he sat down at the cafeteria table. "So, you stayed for the break too."

It wasn't a question, made obvious by his tone of voice, so Fiyero nodded his head mutely and continued eating. Boq just stared.

"So," the short boy tried again. "Galinda went to the Emerald City. I thought she was staying here."

It was another statement, but Fiyero knew Boq really did want to know, so this time he spoke. "I guess she changed her mind." Fiyero stared at his salad, willing the mushrooms away with his mind. He never was one for mushrooms.

"Is that what's got you down?"

"Sure," why not? Let the short kid think what he liked. At the moment it was either the mushrooms or Elphaba, but he didn't need to know that.

"Yeah… Okay," Boq answered distractedly.

Fiyero sighed and snapped his eyes to Boq's. "Is there a reason you're talking to me?"

Boq looked surprised, but a moment later let out the breath he was holding and stated matter-of-factly, "I love Galinda."

"Its Glinda now," Fiyero answered without missing a beat.

"Didn't you here was I just said?"

"She changed her name to Glinda," repeated Fiyero.

"Um… sure," he looked confused, but decided to ignore this point for the time being. "Aren't you going to beat me up?"

"Only if you want me too."

Boq raised a perplexed eyebrow, and Fiyero picked up his fork, pushing the mushrooms off to the side.

"Boq," he started as he twisted his spaghetti around the fork, "everyone knows you're in love with her," everyone, except Nessa that is. "You kindof wear your heart on your sleeve."

"But you're not mad?"

Fiyero shrugged, keeping his cool, "It's not like you could win her heart anyways."

Boq grunted and stood up. "You'll see," he grumbled as he walked out of the room.

That night as Fiyero lie awake he couldn't help but feel that something big was about to happen. Whether this was big on all of Oz's scale, or simply in his life, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that there were eight days left until she would be back again.

He took a long walk outside the following day. As expected, the campus was hauntingly empty, but for once he didn't mind the lack of excitement. He passed Nessarose at one point, but she just nodded distractedly and continued on. Besides Nessa and Boq (who he was increasingly futile dislike of), he hadn't really seen many other students.

He figured the only reason that they were here had something to do with this little web they were developing between the friends. Nessa was here for Boq, Boq was here for Galinda... Glinda. Why she was going to stay, he had no idea. He supposed for himself, but they could have gone somewhere else. There was no way for Fiyero to get home and back in time in just a week, and with Galinda at Shiz, he made no other plans.

Fiyero was regretting that now.

Leaning down, the prince picked up a little stone and chucked it across the park with as much force as he could muster.

"My head hurts," he whispered, realizing just how much thinking he had been doing the last few days.

He kicked another rock.

"I don't want to be here," he said a little louder. Sighing, he sat down on a bench on the side of the park, burying his head into his hands. "And I miss the girls."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **…Sorry.

I dedicate this chapter to **california singer gal** on Gaia… because I find it highly entertaining that my story has fangirls. XD That… and the fact that it probably would have take another month or so before I felt like working on this story again if it weren't for her.

**Chapter 16**

It was two days later when he received the news that changed the rest of his life. It started off the same way the previous few days had… he had been eating in the cafeteria when Boq came buy to bother him. But the difference was, this time the short kid had a newspaper in his hand and his face was deathly pale. Before Fiyero could make a joke about this, Boq shoved the paper in the direction of the confused prince and commanded, "Read."

He glanced down and immediately noticed the large type splashed across the page.

_**Wicked Witch Breaks Into Wizard's Palace**_

Fiyero glanced up uncertainly at Boq to ask him what this was about, but the look on Boq's face was obviously urging him to read on.

_Yesterday afternoon, when The Wizard of Oz was in the middle of interviewing Miss Glinda Upland for a position as his assistant, a wicked witch broke into the wizard's palace. The greened-skinned witch was an acquaintance of Miss Glinda, and in a fit of jealously stormed out of hiding and stole Oz's magic book and proceeded to mutilate innocent monkeys. The Witch stormed off, and in an act of bravery, Glinda rushed off to help capture her, but was unfortunately unsuccessful. The only hint The Witch left as her hideout location was that it was somewhere to the West._

_Madame Morrible, Oz's press secretary, immediately informed the public of the news and warned us that The Witch is dangerous. If you see anyone with unnatural, green skin, immediately run and inform a government official so they can help capture this beast. For more information of precautions you should take, turn to page 2A._

_When asked about it later, Miss Glinda Upland seemed disappointed in her once-friend but able to move on. She is to be coronated as "Glinda the Good" tomorrow afternoon before returning to Shiz University to finish her education. _

When Fiyero finally looked back up again, Boq immediately spoke. "Can you believe it?" he all but shouted. Miss Galinda actually had to go through all of that! To think Elphaba would betray us all!"

Boq took Fiyero's shocked silence as invitation to continue on. "But at least she's getting something good out of this, despite the fact they spelled her name wrong in the papers. 'Glinda the Good.' Wow."

Fiyero stood up abruptly and walked away towards his favorite thinking place, confusing and silencing Boq in one go. But a moment later, the munchkin shook his head and ran off to tell someone else the news.

When Fiyero was finally alone and seated at the park, he finally allowed his mind to let the information sink in.

Elphaba… betrayed Glinda? That didn't make any sense. The Wizard called Elphaba in… not her blonde-haired friend. If anyone should be jealous about something, it was Glinda. And what was this nonsense about her harming monkeys? Elphaba would never harm an animal or Animal. That much he **knew** to be true. The newspaper's story was nothing but a pack of lies. It had to be. Fiyero scrunched his forehead up in pain… this thinking was really starting to hurt.

What really happened though? He sighed. Elphaba… Elphaba was gone. She ran off. He would never see her again. His heart stopped while this new realization sank in.

Maybe it was all just a mistake. One big understanding. The newspaper tomorrow surely would explain the true story and all would be well again.

Despite trying to reassure himself, Fiyero did not fall asleep that night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The following day's newspaper didn't do anything to clear up the confusion. In fact, all it did was state the Glinda the Good was coronated and that she would soon be returning to Shiz. Fiyero decided that he would have to wait for her to return to understand the truth of what happened.

The following days were filled with newspaper articles, as well as a certain annoying munchkin, neither of which helped to sooth him.

Friday afternoon, Fiyero found himself at the train station, pacing back and forth, watching the clock. When Glinda's train finally arrived, he immediately ran towards the door, hugging her on first sight.

"Fiyero!" she half-squealed in protest.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that I missed you so much."

"Oh. Of course you did. As I missed you. Would you carry my things for me?"

He bent down to take her two large suitcases, nearly dropping them from the weight. What, he wondered, could she have possibly packed in them?

As they began to walk in the direction of Shiz, Fiyero asked the dreaded question.

"I'm sure you're already tired of answering this… but I have to know. What happened with Elphaba?"

Glinda stopped walking and looked away. "I…I don't rightly know. It all happened so fast."

"Please tell me."

"Well," she began as she took a step forward. "To tell the honest truth, I'm not supposed to tell anyone. That's why they made me 'Glinda the Good'. Good thing I changed my name, huh? I don't thing "Galinda the Good' would roll of the tongue so well."

"You changed the subject."

She sighed, waving her hand. "We'll talk about it later, alright dearest?"

Fiyero nodded his head in understanding and the two walked the rest of the way to her dorm in silence.

The following day, Fiyero had to visit Glinda's room as she refused to leave hers.

"Galinda?" he called out as he knocked on her door. "I mean… Glinda? It's me, Fiyero."

The door opened slightly and Fiyero peeked his head around to see her eye studying him from inside.

"Can I come in?"

The door opened the rest of the way and the prince stepped in.

Glinda looked miserable. Her usually perfect blonde hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her puffy, red eyes.

He closed the door before hugging her.

"Tell me what happened," he whispered.

"I can't! Fiyero, I can't!" she sobbed.

"Shh, come on, let's sit down."

She nodded and they both sat down on her bed… facing the opposite side of the room from Elphaba's things.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else. She was my friend, too. I don't believe the newspapers. I refuse to."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Of course."

She took a deep breath and straightened herself up. "Elphie and I were at the Emerald City and the Wizard called us in. He said something about wanting her to help him and to prove her power. So he showed her this magic book and told her which spell to do. She did the spell perfectly, but it gave all of the Wizard's monkeys wings. And then… then she got mad and left." Glinda looked down, a confused look on her face. "I'm so confused. The Wizard… he shouldn't have done that."

"He shouldn't have done what?"

"Oh… never mind."

"You have to tell me sooner or later."

She sighed and turned away, looking out the window. "She's out there somewhere, Fiyero, but I have no idea where that somewhere might be. But," she paused, plastering a smile on her face, "she can take care of herself. I believe in her."

Fiyero didn't answer. He was too looking out Glinda's window, as if doing so would bring her home.

"Could you let me be the rest of the night?" Glinda asked. "I'll be better tomorrow morning. I just need some sleep."

He nodded as he stood, taking the first few steps to the door. "I believe in her too."

**an: **I got to see Wicked in Chicago on August 25th. Front row and center! It was so awesome. I also got Dee and Erin's autographs, as well as Summer (Nessa), Peter (The Wizard) and Stan's (Boq.)


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

He couldn't sleep. A week had gone by since Glinda's arrival at Shiz. His mind was racked with guilt and the pain of losing Elphaba. She could be anywhere… she could be hurt. Captured. She was gone. Gone. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "Elphaba," he whispered. For hours Fiyero lay in the darkness. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this. Glinda was in just as bad of shape as he was. She had been muttering things like, "traitor," and "terrible person," to herself all day, every day. From what he could see of Elphaba's sister… she didn't even talk. Instead she sat tall and straight in her chair with a look of firm resoluteness carved into her face. "She will be back," Nessa told him when he asked how she was doing. "She'll be back."

But she still wasn't. She was gone, and it would probably remain that way.

It didn't seem like much time had gone by when he awoke. In fact, he didn't think he had fallen asleep at all. It was quiet one moment, while the next included a small squeaking sound. But when looking at his clock, illuminated by the moonlight, he saw that almost two hours had gone by. He looked up and around the room, suddenly puzzled by how light it was. He realized that the curtains were cracked open when they weren't at all before. Sitting up, he decided that trying to sleep was useless and that the hour and a half of rest would have to do. Still puzzled by the curtains he walked up to them, discovering that the window itself was open as too.

He rubbed his head sleepily, too tired to figure it out. He turned to his desk, deciding that if he was up he should attempt to study. That's when he saw it.

Sitting in the middle of his desk was a small, white piece of paper. He rushed to it, feeling its importance without knowing what it was. Lifting it up and standing in the moonlight, he read:

_Take care of Glinda and my sister. Destroy this._

He gasped, almost dropping the note. "Elphaba." After a moment of recovery, he rushed to the window, hoping against hopes that he would see her in the night air. When he didn't, he reasoned that it was for the best. That way she would remain hidden.

He was tempted to keep the paper as something to remember her by. But what she said won over and he ripped in into as many tiny pieces as his figures could manage. He crawled back into bed, now having some peace knowing that she was alive. Sleep overcame him.

*

When Fiyero awoke a few hours later to the sound of his alarm, he groaned. Nonetheless, he got out of bed and prepared to do his duty to continue going to school. It was a bit chilly, so he turned to the window to close it. It was then that he remembered what happened the night before. More than ever, he wished he hadn't destroyed the note. What if it was only a dream?

He rushed to get ready. He combed his hair in a grand total of ten minutes instead of a full half hour. He rushed out the door, determined to complete the task that Elphaba had set out for him.

Glinda would be simple. He was already close to her, and he was already trying to take care of her. He would simply have to try harder. But Nessarose was more distant. How could he take care of her? The answer came when his favorite short guy walked out into the hall with dark circles under his eyes.

"Boq!" Fiyero greeted. Boq turned to face him and gave a half hearted smile that quickly disappeared. "Hey, I was doing some thinking last night and decided that I wouldn't mind having a roommate. If things aren't going so well in your room, you're welcome to join mine instead."

"Really?" Boq asked, surprised. Fiyero was almost surprised himself, but remembered that it was all for Elphaba.

"Yeah. Really, you're welcome to share it, anytime."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind."

Fiyero smiled to himself. He could take care of Nessa by keeping an eye on her boyfriend. Next, he set off towards Crage Hall to find Glinda.

She didn't answer her door at first. But after a second rounds of knocks and yelling out, "Glinda, it's me, Fiyero!" she timidly opened the door. She was a mess, as usual. She didn't look as if she got any sleep, even the halfway applied makeup couldn't hide that.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Glinda, can I come in?"

She nodded her head and opened the door the rest of the way, allowing him entrance.

Elphaba's things were all in the same place as before. It broke his heart to see them. Glinda sat down on her bed, and Fiyero followed. Her eyes were glued to the floor and her lips were pressed shut. Leaning over, Fiyero lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Glinda. Please, you can't go on like this."

She stared wide-eyed at him before breaking down in tears. "I- I know. I can't! I can't."

"We could talk about it more, if that's what you want. You know I won't tell anyone else. Shh, it will be okay." He pulled her in for a hug and she sobbed. "She was my friend too. Please tell me?" he whispered.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, I've said too much as it is," she whispered back.

"Please?"

"Um…" she hesitated. "I already told you about her casting the spell on the moneys. It gave all these monkeys wings and they were in pain, so Elphie panicked. Then they said they would be spies and she realized that the Wizard didn't have any real power. He's been a fake all this time! So she ran away. I followed, trying to stop her. But I couldn't. She cast the same spell on this broomstick that made it float, and she flew away. She tried to get me to come, but I couldn't! Oh I'm horrible, Fiyero!" She continued to cry, unable to let go of him.

"It's okay. Then what happened?"

"I… I went down and Oz and Madam made me promise to not say the true story. They promised that I'd get a good job with them when I graduated. I wasn't sure if I should take it, but then I decided that Elphie – that she'd want me to. I couldn't let them know just how much I care about my roommate or they would hurt me too. So I took it and I feel horrible!"

"Glinda, its okay, I understand. You're right, you shouldn't go around telling everyone the truth. They'll believe the Wizard's words before your own. Your secret is safe with me."

"I'm so scared."

"I know. It's going to be okay."

He comforted her while she silently cried on his shoulder while he processed all that Glinda had said. The Wizard was a fake who wanted to use Elphaba for her power. He caused her to unknowingly harm and animal… of course she would be upset. He thought again of the note she left. _Take care of Glinda and my sister. _

"Glinda?" he whispered.

"Yes?"

"You've been through a lot, and I'm worried about you. But I'm going to take care of you, okay? I know this may seem like bad timing, but we've never made it official. Will you be my girlfriend?"

She looked up at him and smiled for the first time in a week. "Oh – yes. Yes, Fiyero. I will."

And he kissed her.


	19. Chapter 19

**an: I know just over a page isn't much… but I updated. taDA! Just be happy I wrote something. My current writing goal is to write at least one chapter a month, preferably alternating between this and "Sophie's Curse" (If you haven't read Howl's Moving Castle, I suggest you do. AWESOME book. 10x Better than the movie.)**

**Chapter 19**

As the semester continued on, life was beginning to look better again. Glinda was slowly becoming happier as Fiyero went through the motions to date her, and with Boq as his roommate it was easier to keep an eye on both him and Nessarose. The fact that Boq annoyed the heck out of him was something he simply had to deal with.

However, their already strained relationship finally snapped one afternoon while walking to meet the girls. It started with a simple statement. One that Fiyero supposed Boq had been wanting to make for quite some time. "You don't look happy."

Fiyero smiled halfheartedly while still looking ahead and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Looking directly at Fiyero, Boq elaborated, "You're always staring off into space. Even when you're around Ga… uh, Glinda."

"I suppose I do." Fiyero stopped walking and turned away, uncomfortable with where this conversation was taking them. "What's your point?"

"My point is, you're not happy. I don't think you really love her."

"What?" Fiyero turned back, suddenly angry. The short kid knew nothing of what he had gone through, "What gives you the right to say something like that? I may not be in love with Glinda, but at least I genuinely care about her!"

Boq stared at him blankly for a moment before continuing. "And so you date her, leading her on? What a brainless thing to do."

"Oh, so you think I'm stupid, do you?"

"You forget that I _am_ in love with Glinda. If you do _anything_ to hurt her, you'll pay."

Fiyero sighed. "What are you going to do, pull out your little Munchkin powers?"

"I love her! I always have. I won't stand for someone pretending to love her like that!"

"I do love her, but I'm not _in_ love with her. And I've never once told her that I was. Unlike _some_ people."

"What's that supposed to mean," Boq said just a little too dramatically.

"Oh I don't know, Mister Lets-pretend to date Nessarose to get Glinda's attention. Got it. I may not love Glinda wholly and completely, but at least I care about her well being and I'm with her because I _want_ to be. I want to take care of her. You _know_ Nessa thinks you love her. I may not know the girl too well, but she is Elphaba's sister and _someone_ needs to protect her."

"And I do protect her! She's my friend, she-"

"You don't care at all about her. You're trying to impress _my_ girlfriend by dating her lost best friend's sister. You heartless son of-"

"Hello boys!" a high voice suddenly pitched in. They simultaneously turned their heads to see Glinda running to catch up with them. Nessa was rolling along a few feet behind her. "Is anything wrong?"

"We'll finish this later," Fiyero whispered menacingly into Boq's ear before turning back to his girlfriend. "No, not at all, dear. Sorry we're running late."

"I guess that's okay. But we've been bored all day!"


End file.
